Family Portrait: Lt. Col. Adam Hackel, at your service PAGe 25
National National LGBT LGBT History History Month Month project project
Over a century of gender variance and the Mummers Parade
LGBT sites eyed for landmark status
PAGe 17
PAGe 16
Oct. 24-30, 2014
Since 1976
PGN Philadelphia Gay News HONESTY • INTEGRITY • PROFESSIONALISM
Vol. 38 No. 43
City mourns LGBT director Gloria Casarez By Jen Colletta and Sarah Blazucki “I pledge to represent the community with authenticity, integrity and respect.” — Gloria Casarez, in her 2008 speech accepting the post of Philadelphia’s Director of LGBT Affairs The rainbow flag outside Philadelphia City Hall continues to fly at half-staff in honor of Gloria Casarez. The city’s director of LGBT affairs died Oct. 19, more than five years after she was diagnosed with cancer. Reaction to Casarez’s death has been overflowing in the community and the city this week, with many remembering not just the depth and breadth of Casarez’s accomplishments in advancing LGBT equality, but also the spirit and energy that inspired her work. “Gloria was a great friend to a lot of folks,” Mayor Michael Nutter told PGN. “She was tremendously kind and thoughtful and had a great spirit about her.” Her wife, Tricia Dressel, said Casarez’s strength and determination over the last few years exemplified the fortitude with which she exhibited each day. “She was a warrior to the end. She lived and died the way she wanted to — on her own terms.”
City leader Nutter appointed Casarez as Philadelphia’s first director of LGBT affairs in 2008. In that capacity, she oversaw the city’s work to ensure full LGBT inclusion in all facets of city government, bridged gaps between the LGBT community and city leaders and represented Philadelphia and its LGBT efforts on local and national levels. The mayor said Casarez far exceeded the duties of her position. “She didn’t just limit herself to the work I asked her to come here to do. She was active in a variety of areas of government. She knew everybody, engaged with everybody,” Nutter said. “She was a highly respected and valued member among our top leaders here and set a very, very high bar and standard for all public servants: those who serve, those who give, those who do. She elevated issues of diversity and made sure there were a number of different voices around the table. She insisted on that.” Casarez sought to include members from across the community in her work, telling PGN in 2008 that it was “entirely within everything I’ve ever done to have as many people involved in something as possible. I don’t try to run things all by myself; it’s not in my character.” She led the establishment of the Mayor’s Advisory Board on LGBT Affairs, a collec-
tion of LGBT and ally individuals from an array of industries, to represent the needs of the community. “She was just really remarkable in that she always had her finger on the pulse of what was happening in the community,” said Elicia Gonzales, executive director of GALAEI: A Queer Latin@ Social Justice Organization. “She would regularly check in with all of us in different regards. She had a way of making sure she had a bird’seye view of the city, really getting into the nitty-gritty details of things. She knew the business sector, tourism, providers, just what was happening with everyday people. She was meticulous in a sense in knowing
when something was awry, like a detective, and then figuring out a way to advocate for that at the city level.” Among her most visible accomplishments was the raising of the rainbow flag each October outside City Hall, which she conceived of and spearheaded. Casarez spoke PAGe 14 at the fifth flag-raising
Hate-crimes bill moves forward in Philly, stalls in PA Conservative bishops not By Ryan Kasley ryan@epgn.com
A bill that would instate a penalty for offenders who commit hate crimes against LGBT individuals in Philadelphia has moved one step closer towards becoming law in the city. The Public Safety Committee of Philadelphia City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed Bill 140720, which adds a new chapter to the Philadelphia Code to provide for additional penalties for criminal conduct motivated by hatred regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities. The bill, sponsored by Councilmembers Blondell Reynolds-Brown and Jim Kenney, was scheduled to receive a first reading before the full Council on Thursday. Then, the public will be given a week to submit comments before a second reading will occur and a final vote can be taken. Given that the bill passed from the committee with a favorable recommendation, Reynolds-Brown said
she was optimistic her colleagues will approve the legislation. “I feel positive it will pass in every way — absolutely,” she said. “The state has run into a brick wall. Given the testimony we have heard today, and the very insightful questions that were raised, I am confident that it will move to the mayor’s desk and become law.” The Philadelphia Police Department fully supports the intent of the bill, but noted that it could potentially raise issues of double jeopardy if a defendant were tried for two crimes under separate jurisdictions, said PPD Capt. James Healy. For example, “if an assault charge was filed under state law, it might preclude the filing of a city hatecrimes charge,” Healy said. But he assured the committee that the PPD and the District Attorney’s Office would “cross their Ts and make sure defendants would not get off on a technicality.” PAGe 6 Under the new law, such crimes
ready to ‘welcome’ gays By Ryan Kasley ryan@epgn.com The final document issued from this year’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family contained language that was significantly colder in tone than the preliminary statement released last week. The initial report shook the Catholic community and the world by offering — for the first time in the Vatican’s history — a somewhat-hospitable, welcoming attitude towards LGBT Catholics and same-sex couples. “Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer Christians: Are
we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities?” read the statement under the passage titled, “Welcoming Homosexual Persons.” While hailed by many as a victory for LGBT Catholics, conservative bishops quickly drew a hard line against Pope Francis’ progressive statements by watering down the language in the final version released last weekend at the end of the synod. The revised paragraph referred to homosexuality as a “problem” that Catholic families have to conPAGe 5 front and stated,